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Prince Harry has given up one of his favourite things - all for his pregnant wife

PRINCE Harry has been quietly going about something that not even the most sharp-eyed royal watchers have spotted.

Royal Tour Wrap: Day Two

PRINCE Harry hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol in about three months - and it’s all to support Meghan.

The party-loving prince, 34, reportedly gave up booze at the same time the Duchess of Sussex, 37, became pregnant.

Kensington Palace yesterday announced Meghan was pregnant with the couple’s first child, setting off a worldwide wave of goodwill and excitement. The announcement came at the start of the couple’s first overseas tour together when they landed in Sydney.

Prince Harry was once well known for his larrikin ways - stumbling out of nightclubs in London, booze binges as a teen and an episode in 2012 when he was photographed naked in a Las Vegas hotel after a night of heavy drinking.

But that all has apparently been suspended, at least until the baby is born.

A royal source has told The Sun: “Meghan obviously cannot drink during her pregnancy and Harry wants to be there to support her.

“When they are in London, they have been spending more nights in together as he cannot go out drinking with friends like he used to.”

Harry and Meghan were photographed in July at an event in Dublin drinking glasses of champagne. That was the last time either of them were seen in public drinking alcohol. The couple raised eyebrows last Friday when they skipped Princess Eugenie’s wedding reception where the tequila flowed freely.

Meghan herself has spoken about how much she enjoys alcohol.

In 2015 she said she was “of course” going to have a glass of wine: “it’s delicious and I enjoy it”.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit Taronga Zoo during their visit to Sydney. Picture: Toby Zerna
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit Taronga Zoo during their visit to Sydney. Picture: Toby Zerna

“Do the things you enjoy within reason. Know your body and what works for you and you’ll be fine.”

In an interview with Best Health she didn’t ever want to feel “deprived” of things she likes because once you feel that, you start to “binge.” Instead, she advocates for what she calls “lifestyle eating”, not dieting.

Prince Harry told an afternoon reception at Admiralty House he and Meghan were excited to let the world in on their baby news in Australia.

“Genuinely thank you for the incredibly warm welcome and the chance to meet so many Aussies from all walks of life and we also genuinely couldn’t think of a better place to announce the upcoming baby.”

He didn’t give any hints away as to what the sex of the baby was, pausing before saying “be it a boy or a girl”.

Meanwhile, senior royal correspondent Richard Kay wrote that Prince Charles’s friends believe Harry will be just as good a father as his brother William.

Prince Harry has given up alcohol while Meghan is pregnant. Picture: Nathan Edwards
Prince Harry has given up alcohol while Meghan is pregnant. Picture: Nathan Edwards

“Harry is much more open than William, has bucket loads of likeable qualities and the human touch that he inherited from his mother,” a confidant of Prince Charles said.

Prince Charles is said to be excited about the arrival of his fourth grandchild - and hopeful he will have a close role to play.

Kay writes in the Daily Mail newspaper that the Prince of Wales was keen for a mentoring role with the new grandchild, something he initially missed out on with William’s children.

He said “despite his wayward reputation, in trouble with drink and drugs and poor judgment” Harry has always been closer to his father than William.

As a result he has been in the best position to observe his youngest son mature.

“In recent times has had many opportunities to mull over the incredible change that marriage and stability has brought to Harry’s life”.

andrew.koubaridis@news.com.au

Royal Tour Wrap: Day One

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/royals/prince-harry-has-given-up-one-of-his-favourite-things-all-for-his-pregnant-wife/news-story/bacbf3ebd1740b779a19695f3d284cf9